Woman Power!

History has repeatedly proved that women have always played a pivotal role in the development of any civilisation. Reservations, hurdles and challenges of consorting in strictly men oriented disciplines of life have instilled a compelling momentum and bolstered her level of commitment to emerge victorious.

Defence and Security have been two such verticals where induction of women has always been considered a taboo, other than medical and nursing corps where postings are largely behind the front lines of battle. However, the last couple of decades have seen a paradigm shift with women officers participating effectively in aviation, logistics, law, engineering and executive cadres. The question is … If European, American and Israeli defence forces have women in combat roles, why is India still apprehensive for this metamorphosis!?

In retrospect, the disposition of our most agonisingly persistent adversary, Pakistan and its proclivity to inflict brutal torture on prisoners of war / combatants, appears to be the root cause of our apprehension in allowing women into the combat zone. Another argument reflected in military ethos is the prevailing civilian attitude of menfolk drawn from the rural areas of India who are unprepared to deal with a greater role of women in society.

In India, this process has been exceedingly slow and women in higher ranks are rare. I still remember my interaction with the first woman Air Marshal of the Indian Air Force, Ms Padmavathy Bandopadhyay who was interviewed for the inaugural edition of DSA in October 2009. It was fascinating to talk to a lady who has become a trailblazer through sheer determination, dedication, commitment and hard-work and became a role model for the younger generation.

This edition of DSA is dedicated to ‘Woman Power’ and the indispensable role she plays as a mother, a sister, a wife, a daughter and above all … a soldier! Experts and stalwarts have beautifully encapsulated their roles, their challenges and their perceptible contributions. Almost all operations of defence and security are now witness to their phenomenal success. However, the bottleneck of antiquated policies is still a marathon that needs to be sweated out.

Defence and security segment in India has become skewed by the predominance of public sector in the production of military wherewithal. With the present government insisting on ‘Make in India’, we feel emboldened to suggest measures for creating the gravely needed and viable Military Industrial Complex with an active policy of public-private participation and productive and profitable partnership. With Aero India 2015 recently concluded, expectations of a clear road map from our Prime Minister are soaring as we feel he understands the paramountcy of much contemplated exponential escalation of indigenous defence production capabilities. I know it is not going to happen overnight but with transparent policies reinforcing this vision, India can expeditiously affirm an upswing in GDP, strengthening and self-reliance of defence and security and generation of jobs and foreign exchange.

Almighty has bestowed a woman with the power to create and I firmly believe that she has the ability and competence to elevate India to the pinnacle of developed nations. As we celebrate International Women’s Day, I look forward to the day when the world says, ‘Behind every successful Woman, there is a Man!’ May the festival of colours adorn your lives with the vibrant hues of happiness. Happy Holi!!

Jai Hind!

Propitious Resurgence

The reaction of our neighbours China and Pakistan to US President Barack Obama’s visit to India underscores the dangers posed by these two to India and the Asia-Pacific region. The collusion between Beijing, Islamabad and Pongyang in the horizontal proliferation of nuclear weapons and the means of delivery has created a bulwark from behind which Pakistan-trained terrorists have tried to sap the strengths of both India and the US. It reveals that the kernel of the China-Pak geostrategic relationship is based largely on the use of terrorist ‘non-state actors’. In its ‘all-weather’ support to Pakistan, China is also bolstering to the hilt the use of Islamic fundamentalist jihadi terrorists as tools of state policy.

This conjunction of the nuclear, conventional and sub-conventional methods of warfare has stoked fears in the region that they will provoke a two-front war against India to satisfy a craving for an overland connection between China’s Pacific Ocean seaboard and the Arabian Sea over illegally held territory that belonged to the former princely state of Jammu and Kashmir acceded to India. It also highlights the new hegemonic aspirations in the Indian Ocean region. It is in this context that this year’s biannual Aero India exposition acquires special significance for creation of the wherewithal within India for an aerospace defence capable of sustaining two-front war on the India-Pakistan and India-China frontiers and Pak / China-inspired machinations in the hinterland.

The new BJP-led government has sought to clear the logjam in the acquisition of new generations of fighter-bombers to replace the ageing and obsolescent MiG family of Russia-built aircraft that helped defend India successfully in the 1965 and 1971 Wars with Pakistan. It is now time to look two decades ahead at what should be India’s posture in the aerospace domain. That is what the DSA in this issue has sought to do. The Republic Day parade highlighted the current capabilities, including the air display by US supplied medium-lift C-130J Super Hercules, the heavy-lift C-17 Globemaster and P8I maritime reconnaissance and strike aircraft and the Russian Sukhoi deep penetration strike aircraft all of which have a very specific China orientation and can handle Pakistan collaterally.

The accent of air power in the coming decades will be on acquisition of fifth generation-plus fighter-bombers and the ability to reach into the Chinese heartland if necessary. This entails the upgradation of not only the air power infrastructure of the Air Force, Army and Navy but also the flexible deployment facilities for the Paramilitary forces like the Border Security Force, the Central Reserve Police Force and Indo-Tibetan Border Police. So in a way the upcoming Aero India 2015 will create more value addition to the procurement process in lieu of the announcement of 49 per cent FDI in Defence by the current government and all the major manufacturers of the aero products and technologies around the world will be participating.

This edition is dedicated to the Aero India 2015 show and you will find many, research-based articles by the experts on all aspects of air power which make this edition a very special one. DSA has the privilege of publishing an interview with the Deputy Chief of Air Staff Air Marshal SBP Sinha in this edition. Under a new DSA feature titled ‘Know The Chief’ we present a complete profile of our Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha, his great career graph and his achievements.

This edition also carries Pre-budget Musings by renowned subject experts. With the announcement of defence budget round the corner, this is an integral aspect that needs meticulous scrutiny of its strengths and weaknesses. It is an exercise in explaining the crux of national security planning and the means and sapience of achieving the required Defence capabilities. I am sure that these articles will open new ways and provide insights to develop a robust defence budget of India considering the shortfalls and the challenges that our Defence forces are facing.

Jai Hind!

Alert For India?

The Taliban and their Pakistani masters are behaving with India like the Kauravas did with Pandavas in the ancient times. We all know the fate of the Kauravas and it now appears – after the massacre of the innocent school children in Peshawar on 16th December – that dastardly act could yet prove to be the last straw that will break the Pakistani camel’s obdurate back.

In spite of all warnings and alerts by the world community, Pakistan has never tried to control the global terrorism and anti-Indian activities of the many Sunni Islamic jihadi outfits operating from within its territory and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. I think the attack on the Peshawar military school is the direct outcome of the permissive attitude of both the Pakistani military establishment and the political milieu which used Islamic fundamentalism to create constituencies within the many terrorist organisations operating under the umbrella United Jihad Council. That the young Malala Yousafzai should win the Nobel Prize for standing up to defy the jihadi diktat against education of the girl child in Pakistan is a commentary on the depth to which the Pakistani society has descended that such groups can revel in the slaying of the innocents.

There is now no doubt that there exists a nexus between the Pakistan government led by an Ahle Hadith-believing Prime Minister, the Pakistan Army Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and the various terrorist outfi ts be they the Al Qaeda, the Taliban, the Lashkar-e-Taiba or the rabidly anti-Shia Lashkar-e-Jhangvi to name a few. The admission by the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan that it conducted the massacre in Peshawar in retaliation for the Pakistan Army and Air Force Operation Zarb-e-Azb in North Waziristan robbed the Pakistan government of any excuse to accuse India and Afghanistan for the Peshawar massacre Lashkar e-Taiba chief Hafiz Muhammad Saeed’s rantings against India notwithstanding.

Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s assurance that his government would take strong action against the perpetrators was rendered useless with the release from jail two days later of one of the handlers of the Mumbai carnage of 26/11, Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi. Worldwide condemnation forced the Nawaz Sharif government to put him back in jail under a law that allows only three months incarceration. Sufficient proof of his involvement has been handed over to the Pakistan government but threats to public prosecutors and judges have ensured that no action will be taken against Lakhvi.

After the Peshawar massacre Indian defence and security forces and the intelligence agencies have become more vigilant against any similar attack on Indian schools. The role of Indian Army has become more challenging now considering the various threats internally as well as externally. The entire security paradigm has changed in the last one decade. The ultras using the latest technologies to destablise peace in India are the biggest challenge for the Indian Army which is now well equipped with the latest telecommunication devices and arms and ammunition. The Indian Army has kept the Pakistani game plan at bay and has blunted the many proxy attacks it has conducted over the past two decades which have been characterised by a “no war, no peace” state of affairs. The coordination of the Indian Army with border state governments and the paramilitary forces has stymied Pakistani plans to destroy Indian unity and territorial integrity. I am confident that our Army will play the role of a catalyst to safeguard India’s security and national interests in this changing security paradigm.

I am happy to inform you that veteran journalist and leading strategic analyst Nitin A Gokhale has joined team DSA as Executive Editor with this edition. We are also introducing a new feature ‘Know the Chief.’ As this edition is Indian Army Special we are featuring the Indian Army Chief General Dalbir Singh. Team DSA commemorates the Indian Army Day and salutes each officer and every jawan of the Indian Army by dedicating this edition to the Indian Army. I wish you all a very Happy New Year 2015 and a joyous Republic Day!

Jai Hind!

Oceanic Geopolitics

It is not just the hankering for energy sources and untrammelled passage of bulk carriers to home ports that is tormenting the Indo-Pacific oceanic region these days. Even more fretting is the blatant attempt by China to create a ‘string of pearls’ across the oceans and ‘silk routes’ along the landmass that has people bewildered about Chinese machinations and intentions. Every which way one looks at, India stands four-square in the path of this Chinese expansionism and is hence, Beijing’s target number one.

During the last century, American Admiral Alfred Mahan had recognised the importance of the Indian Ocean as an organic connection between the Atlantic and the Pacific Oceans. The Indian peninsular landmass projecting out into the Indian Ocean is both a boon and an invitation to colonisation and satrapy. India suffered colonisation for three millennia before dethroning British Raj through an exemplary peaceful transition, underscoring the adage that while those who intruded over the land frontiers became assimilated into the Indian ethos, those who came from the sea, stayed on to subjugate and rule.

The likelihood of oil and gas reserves in the Pacific seabed with the Indian Ocean connectivity has stoked a predilection for controlling the seas and domination for fuel by gluttons like China. With the fruition of its long-range plans for nuclear weapons, armed submarines and soon to arrive aircraft carrier, China is flexing its muscles against neighbours like Japan, Vietnam and Philippines and trying to dissuade India from helping these countries exploit resources lying within their respective oceanic claim lines.

Despite being a peace-loving state, India has always had to guard against dubious activities in the Indian Ocean and connecting waters. The threat from China and its support to Pakistan Navy has compelled us to ruminate over the whole scenario. Beijing is acutely aware of the potential for trouble that India presents to the economic well-being of the Han state. China and Pakistan should be cognizant that ganging up against India will be counter-productive to Chinese hegemonic aspirations. We foresee that the dynamic change of guard in the federal government and an exhilarating amelioration of the defence and security apparatus will discourage China and Pakistan in executing their game plan.

Many stalwarts have analysed developments in the Pacific-Indian Ocean littoral in this issue of DSA, commenting on the emerging scenarios and predicating the increasing geostrategic and geopolitical importance of Indo-Pacific theatre in the global security environment.

On the western horizon, a withdrawal of US and NATO forces from Afghanistan could create a new dynamics that could affect India’s security. Unlike India, Pakistan is using its geographical position to hinder Indian access to Kabul and beyond, who are equally chary of the Pakistani epicentre of terrorism and even Islamabad’s very own “all weather friends” in Beijing have started recognising the threat from Pakistan. Pakistan has already started using the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) as a trump card to force concessions from Washington.

Equally daunting are threats emerging from the seas like 26/11 in Mumbai, which triggered an upheaval in my mind and instigated me to initiate a series of confabulations with my dear friend and our Editor-in-chief, Mr Manvendra Singh to conceptualise and bring out a world-class magazine committed to national defence and security. Over five years of existence has cemented DSA as a strong reference point for disquisitions on Indian capabilities and concerns with an objective to play our role in creating awareness about defence and security and disseminating credible and insightful analyses on developing scenarios around the world.

Jai Hind!

Politico-military Stratagem To Pave The Way

The kaleidoscope of eight (Sikkim included) Northeastern states in their rich art and culture, exclusive species of flora and fauna and climate complements the diversity that is mainland India. Its importance for the rest of the nation state lies in the fact that it is the hub of international borders with China, Bhutan, Myanmar (former Burma) and Bangladesh. It must, thus, be the heart of India’s new “Look East” policy of reaching out to the other former outposts of culture and commerce that range from Thailand, the Indochina states of Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia and Indonesia that lie on the rim of the Pacific Ocean. Borrowing from a Chinese phrase, they are as integral and close to the rest of India as “lips and teeth”.

It was, for it’s geopolitical importance, that all the previous central governments had tried their best to bring normalcy after the attainment of independence in a region that has been in a constant state of flux. It is so unfortunate that not much could be done for the overall development of the region. Although a special ministry in the central government was formed a few years back to give all the best support to the region but that could only make some meagre contribution in the socio-economic conditions of the people of the eight states of Northeastern India. There could be many reasons for the deficiencies but instead of discussing all that we need to now focus on the solutions to improve the situation. Still, in most of the states the feeling of pride is missing, education and health facilities are not up to the mark as compared to the other states in the country.

We all are witness to the Chinese strategy to destablise the situation along the Line of Actual Control which extends from Arunachal Pradesh in the east to Ladakh in Jammu and Kashmir in the west. The intrusion in Chumar highlighted the complexity of Chinese policy towards India and the different power centres that are operating in Beijing. India’s foreign policy will have to be moulded to deal with the dichotomy. Our other neighbour Bangladesh, though small in size and resources, has tremendous potential for destabilisation of India because of the very porous borders it shares with Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, West Bengal and Mizoram through which human trafficking, drugs, counterfeit currency, terrorism and, worst, migrants flow into India. The nexus between the black economy and terrorism was illustrated recently by the bomb explosions in West Bengal.

The current government is very serious in tackling the situation at the internal as well as the external level on the defence and security matters in the Northeastern region and that’s the reason that our Prime Minister, Home Minister and Defence Minister have given a very clear message to both China and Bangladesh. Our Security Forces and National Investigating Agency are working day and night to investigate and nab the culprits and fix the problems for the safety and security of the people in this region.

Jai Hind!

Global Jihad Seeking The Return Of Islamic Caliphate?

Jihad has been in existence since time immemorial in small enclaves and regional expanses. But never before has it had such a wide ambiance as it does today – from the Philippines in the Pacific Ocean, South East Asia, Indonesia through Han China and multi-ethnic India, Pakistan and Afghanistan where its modern day avatar gained ascendancy, Europe, West Asia and increasingly in Africa where Boko Haram has registered its murderous imprint. Its adherents dream of a return of the Muslim Caliphate far exceeding the power and authority of the Ottoman Empire.

Defence experts from all over the world have meticulously analysed the connotation of global jihad to understand its genesis and why and how it has spread its tentacles to become a global scourge.

Women, long treated as the ‘lesser kind’ in Islamic jurisprudence, have played an integral role in delivering, through suicide missions, the message of jihad. Many, like the ‘Black Widows’ of the Caucasus and the ‘White Widows’ of Africa have embraced the philosophy of jihad wholeheartedly either for monetary benefits or an unforgiving vengeance.

For many years, the role of money in stoking terrorism was ignored largely because of the geopolitics of removing Communist Soviet troops from Afghanistan in the 70s. But since then the role of petrodollars in financing the Wahhabist interpretation of jihad has been ignored and only recently has attention been given to the massive money transfers through the ‘hawala’ transactions. If we try to assess the gamut of terrorism operations in the world today then we will realise just how badly this has been neglected by almost all the governments in all the countries.

Common sense fortifies that ‘financial terrorism’ can be mercilessly handicapped by a hawk eyed monitoring and control of financial exchanges through banks and illegal procedures which will surely result in a strong counter for all terrorist activities across the world. With a barricading of easy and quick financial resources to meet the demands and requirements of cadres, no terrorist outfit will be in a position to operate or expand and diversify their activities. A nexus between some of the anti-national business class, drug mafia and arms dealers are actually the prime accused responsible for the fluidity of funds, ammunition and weapons to these terrorist groups.

It is indisputable, that for an objective of an immediate control of all terrorist activities, it is incumbent upon the United Nations Security Council to urgently introduce a road map with strict and mandatory guidelines for stringent monitoring of all financial and banking transactions around the world. I am sure that some such guidelines are already in place but I am equally sure that they are insufficiently implemented. Let all leading economies of the world unite on this ‘one point agenda’ and develop a counter-measure at the earliest.

I am confident that under the leadership of the most popular Prime Minister that India is fortunate to have today and his carefully selected team for defence and security, the new government has its priorities well articulated to fight this growing phenomenon of global jihad. India’s initiative will most certainly be exemplary for the rest of the world.

Jai Hind!

Has the Republic Day Parade become a Ritual?

India became a Sovereign Democratic Republic on the 26th of January 1950, and Indians have been celebrating the Republic Day with immense pride and committed passion ever since. Equally candid is the fact that the meaning of our Republic Day has sadly diminished to a mere ‘holiday’. Somewhere down the lane, we have ironically lost the honour and essence of the significance of our Constitution.

Every Republic Day of India observes the painful process of chaotic preparations in Delhi, specifically from Raisina Hill to the Red Fort. This turbulence and inconvenience begins in December and continues till the end of January. The following questions have been bugging Indian citizens for a long time in the absence of a platform to voice out their concerns.

• What is the genesis of this parade which has been continuing for the last 64 years?
• Why is this organised?
• Who is benefitting from this exercise?
• Why so much of wastage of money, resources and man-hours?
• What message is being conveyed by this ritual?

Does anyone from the previous governments have answers to these nagging questions? I am sure many Indians would agree that we are failing to disseminate the real message behind this extravagant demonstration of power to our younger generations. It is sadly startling that no one in the current and the previous governments has ever pondered on this exuberance in the name of national interest! We all know that the Republic of India’s Constitution was promulgated on the 26th January, 1950. Now after more than six decades do we really understand this legacy of the Republic Day Parade we have inherited?

In an effort to showcase a few armaments, the discipline of various defence and security forces and some tableaux displaying the art and culture of states, we are incidentally neglecting the fact that the huge amount of money and resources being spent every year could be used for other more significant and imperative situations. I feel it would be more meaningful if we start concentrating on inculcating and overtly encouraging patriotism and national pride along with building character and developing work culture in each individual rather than spending energies on organising the Beating Retreat. We need to focus on empowering the forces from the grass roots to highest levels. National debates for effective alternatives can be helpful.

It is time to channelise our resources for superlative development.

Jai Hind!